Own Your Power Over Tech

Evan Selinger is a philosophy professor and author focused on the unique intersection of philosophy, technology, and privacy law. His work, which includes co-authoring the book Re-Engineering Humanity, helps people wrap their minds around the implications of our relationships with technology—a vision of where we are today and where we’re going—and he hopes to create an optimal future for us and for the generations to come. In our conversation, Evan shares the “meta-skill” of world-building, including our fundamental abilities of choice (free will) and a salvo for us to be more thoughtful about when and how we outsource our humanity to technology. Throughout, he displays a judicious eye for the ways our thoughts and blind spots, actions and inaction, end up shaping our world—and he encourages us to pause. This pause can come in the form of a mindful moment (“breathing room”) or simply the consideration of the full, weighty context of social and technological issues at play.

Guest

Evan Selinger

Evan Selinger is a Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and Senior Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum. His prolific research covers ethical issues concerning technology, science, the law, and expertise. His writing appears in Wired, The Atlantic, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, The Guardian, Salon, CNN, Bloomberg Opinion, The BBC, The Christian Science Monitor, New Scientist, Aeon, Forbes, and HuffPost.